


apple pie

by xogray



Series: percabeth oneshots [11]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mortal, F/M, First Kiss, Kinda?, Love Confessions, Minor Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Minor Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Minor Thalia Grace/Zoe Nightshade, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, that rating is p much for swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25643683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xogray/pseuds/xogray
Summary: when she opened the checkbook, she nearly dropped it. inside sat a crisp one-hundred dollar bill. she looked at it for a second, like she was hallucinating. was this a mistake? did he mean to give her a ten dollar bill and just... didn't see the extra zero on the bill?  his total had only been $8.76, why would he give her a $100 tip?on the receipt, there was a small scribble of handwriting.thank you for the great service:)- or the one in which annabeth is a waitress and percy tips her way too much
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Series: percabeth oneshots [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1839274
Comments: 7
Kudos: 251





	apple pie

**Author's Note:**

> this is the longest thing i've ever written, pls be nice

annabeth was just having a bad friday.

she woke up late, which made her late to class. she stepped in a puddle, which forced her to walk around with one wet shoe. she dropped her lunch in her lap, which she had been looking forward to since she missed breakfast. plus, she didn't get to nap before work because her roommate decided to be extra loud today.

and now she was at work. it was 12:13 am, and she was one of the only two servers at the diner working. and despite the time, it was busy. and annabeth was just doing her best. her manager thought she could do better though.

"let's go, annabeth," she said. "be quicker. i can't have you being so slow right now."

"i'm sorry, carly," annabeth said. "i'm doing my best."

"do better."

annabeth had four plates of food stacked on her arms, carefully bringing them to a table.

"okay guys, i have a turkey club sandwich?" she said with a forced smile. she handed out each of the plates. she was about to turn back around when one of the guys at the table stopped her.

"excuse me, i asked for no tomato? i'm allergic," he said, a little too angrily in annabeth's opinion.

"oh, i'm so sorry sir," she said quickly. "i can take that back for you and have them remake it." he lifted the plate and handed it to her.

"yeah. and make it quick, we have somewhere to be."

annabeth gave another forced smile and a quick nod. she rushed back towards the kitchen.

"hey, there was meant to be no tomato on this, can you remake it real quick please?" she asked the chef. the one chef there on the very busy night.

"you're killing me, annie," he said, taking the plate from her.

"thank you, oliver. i'm sorry again."

it only took a minute for him to reassemble the sandwich, handing her the plate. she thanked him again and rushed out. as she was walking back towards the table, she passed another guy sitting alone, waiting patiently. she stopped at his table.

"have you been served, sir?" she asked. he just shook his head with a polite smile. "okay, i'll be right with you." she gave him a smile as he nodded and quickly walked to the other table where the man waiting was looking very angry.

"here you go. once again, i'm so sorry about that." she set the plate down in front of him. "can i get anything else for you guys?" she asked, addressing the whole table.

"the check," a girl with dark hair said. annabeth nodded.

"i'll be right back with it," she said. she walked quickly to the machine behind the counter of the diner bar, pulling up the tab for the table. she took the check and dropped it off at the table, not receiving any thanks from the customers. she picked up some dirty plates from a few tables down, taking them back to the kitchen. she came back into the dining area and took a breath, looking around.

"oh," she muttered to herself when she saw the one guy she had spoken to before, still waiting. she quickly walked over to him.

"i'm so sorry to keep you waiting," she said apologetically. "my name is annabeth. can i get you something to drink?"

he looked up at her with bright green eyes. he was wearing very nice clothes, annabeth noticed. a clean, white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. she also noticed the expensive looking watch on his wrist.

"it's okay, you guys seem busy," he said with a smile.

annabeth huffed out a laugh. "yeah, really. and at 12:30 in the morning too." he laughed lightly.

"i'll have a coke, and a slice of apple pie."

"that's an interesting midnight snack," she said with a smile, writing down the order on her notepad.

"my friend recommended this diner to me specifically because of the apple pie. and i just got off work 30 minutes ago so i figured... why not go now?" he smiled again, adjusting his sleeves absentmindedly.

"eating pie sounds better than sleeping, to be honest." he laughed again. "i'll have that out for you as soon as possible."

"take your time," he said.

she put the order for the pie in, then picked up a cup, filling it with ice and coke. she came out from behind the counter, holding the drink and unexpectedly slammed into someone. specifically, the no-tomato-guy. the cup, thankfully plastic, got pushed into her chest before falling on the floor. she was soaked.

honestly, annabeth wanted to cry. instead, she looked up at the customer. soda had gotten on him too, but not nearly as much as on her. "sir, i am so, so sorry. that was completely my fault, i-"

he cut her off. "god, can you do anything right?" he yelled, getting the attention of most of the diner. annabeth blinked, his outburst catching her off guard. "i was coming to find you so you could finally take our check, and then this happens. you know what? i'm not even paying. fuck this place."

he stormed out dramatically. the girl with dark hair and the two other people who had been at their table glared at annabeth as they left.

"annabeth, what the hell happened?" her manager came over, wildly angry.

"i- i'm sorry. i didn't see him, carly, and i-"

"you know what, enough. just clean this up and get back to work."

annabeth looked down at her work uniform, still soaked with dark soda. "but i'm-"

"annabeth, don't start."

carly then turned and faced the diner, which was still quiet. all eyes were on them. "i'm so sorry about the disturbance, everyone. everything is sorted out now. please go back to enjoying your meals."

the attention diverted away from annabeth. carly turned back around, glared at annabeth, and walked off.

annabeth just took a quick, deep breath. "okay," she mumbled to herself, turning around to find towels to clean the mess on the floor.

"annabeth, i can clean this up. the last order you put in is ready," her coworker, jasmine, said with a sympathetic smile.

"thank you," she said quietly, looking at her gratefully. jasmine just nodded, grabbing towels.

annabeth grabbed the slice of apple pie from the table of ready orders in the kitchen. she also grabbed another cup, filling it with ice and coke again. she walked towards the customer's table, a lot more carefully this time.

"okay," she said quietly, giving him a small smile that she knew looked fake. "here you go, sorry for the wait again."

he looked up at her, this time not smiling. he looked concerned. "are you okay?" he asked.

annabeth laughed quietly, not much humor behind it. "never better," she said. she looked over, seeing another table needing her attention. she looked back at the man in front of her. "enjoy your food, let me know if you need anything."

annabeth rushed around the diner, cleaning off tables, giving people their checks, refilling drinks. finally, it began to slow down. there were three tables left, two of which were jasmine's. annabeth's last table was apple-pie-guy, who had taken a lot longer to eat a single piece of pie than she expected. she walked over to him.

"how was your pie?" she asked, collecting his plate. his smile returned.

"it was great. my friends have to be able to give me good recommendations for me to like them, so i'll be glad to tell him that we can remain friends."

she laughed. "that's an interesting friendship requirement," she said. "a smart one though, i might have to make that a rule. can i get you anything else?"

he shook his head. "just the check whenever you get the chance."

"okay, i'll be right back then." she turned on her heels and walked behind the bar, ringing him up. she felt like she could finally take a deep breath. and it was almost 1 am, which was when her shift ended. she brought the check back to the guy, dropping it off. she picked up his empty cup while he placed his credit card in the little checkbook and handed it back to her. she just smiled at him and turned once again, walking back behind the counter. she swiped his card, grabbed the receipt and a pen, taking it back to him.

"okay, there you go. you're all set. have a good night," she said with another smile.

"you too, annabeth. thank you."

she left him alone, going to clean the top of the bar and sweep the floor so she could finally go home. eventually, once the floor and counter were clean, she went back to the table where apple-pie-guy was, cleaning it off and picking up the checkbook. when she opened it to grab the receipt, she nearly dropped the thin, black book.

inside sat a crisp one-hundred dollar bill. she looked at it for a second like she was hallucinating. was this a mistake? did he mean to give her a ten dollar bill and just... didn't see the extra zero on the bill? she took it out carefully. his total had only been $8.76, why would he give her a $100 tip?

she slipped it in her back pocket, utterly lost. she took the receipt out, closing the checkbook. on the receipt, there was a small scribble of handwriting.

_thank you for the great service:)_

annabeth scrunched her eyebrows together. at this point, she concluded this whole day had been a dream. she finished cleaning up, grabbing her bag and making her way to her car. she got home 10 minutes later, and simply stripped out of her clothes and crawled into bed, immediately passing out.

-

it was two days later when she saw him again. he walked into the diner and sat in the same booth he had been in before. it was decently busy, as it was almost 5 pm this time but there were more servers now, so annabeth wasn't rushing around. she made her way to the booth.

"hi," he said, smiling up at her.

"hi," she said before placing her fingertips on the table and lowering her voice. "last time you were here... you, uh, tipped me... a hundred dollars. did you... did you mean to do that?"

"oh yeah, i did," he said simply.

"but... why?" she asked. "your total was, like, nine dollars?"

he shrugged with a smile. "i think you deserved it. plus i could tell your night hadn't been the best, exactly. i wanted to."

annabeth stayed silent for a minute, her eyebrows scrunched together.

"i'm- i mean, i'm really grateful. but i feel bad accepting that. so, thank you... but please don't do that again," she said with a slight frown.

he just smiled at her.

she took her fingers off the table and reached for her notepad. "what can i get you today?" she asked.

"a coke, and a slice of apple pie, please."

she smiled. "i thought that was a midnight snack?"

"it's midnight somewhere in the world," he replied, making her laugh.

"you make a good point," she said. "i'll have that out for you in a few minutes."

"thank you," he said with a smile. she turned, going to put his order into the machine. she got his drink and dropped it off at his table, getting another smile from him. annabeth found that she really enjoyed his smile, it was contagious.

she took another table's orders, putting it in the machine, before grabbing the slice of pie and walking back over to place it on his table. his bright green eyes sparkled as he looked at her.

"thank you, annabeth," he said.

annabeth also found that she enjoyed when he said her name.

"no problem, let me know if i can get you anything else."

she left him be, attending to her other tables and wiping the bar counter down in her free time. she was able to relax for a minute when all her tables were attended to at the moment. she stood behind the bar, leaning forward so her elbows rested on the counter and looked around the diner. she noticed apple-pie-guy's cup was empty. she stood upright, tightened her ponytail, and walked over to his table. he was looking back and forth between his phone and a notebook, writing things down. his apple pie sat half eaten in front of him. his dark hair shielded her from seeing his face.

"do you want me to refill your drink?" she asked, startling him a little as he looked up. then he looked over at his cup as if he didn't realize it was empty.

"oh, yeah. if you don't mind, that would be great." he smiled at her, instantly making her smile in return. she grabbed the cup. "thank you," he said.

"no problem, i'll be right back."

she passed another customer who also needed a refill so she grabbed that cup too, then walked towards the soda machine. she set the dirty cups in the sink and grabbed two new clean ones. she filled them both up, then brought them back to the tables. she set the cup on the guy's table last.

"thank you," he said again. she smiled.

"what are you working on?" she said without thinking. she realized after she said it that it was none of her business, but he didn't seem bothered.

"my father owns a marine biology research and preservation company, and he recently said he's going to make me ceo of the smaller laboratory we're going to have here in manhattan in the next couple years. i'm just looking around for people to help design the building."

annabeth's head tilted. "like... you're looking for an architect?"

he nodded. "yeah. and you know, interior designer, maybe an electrician, and whatnot."

she smiled, nodding her head slowly. "sounds fun."

she looked at her, his eyebrows scrunched together but still smiling. "why are you making that face?"

"nothing, i'm just going to school to be an architect right now. i have one more year left until i get my degree."

he was quiet for a second. "really?" he asked. she nodded. she knew she needed to get back to work but she was enjoying talking to him. "if you have any, like, sketches of your work or anything, you should show me sometime. maybe i'll hire you to design the building."

her eyes widened. "oh, i wasn't trying to, like, put myself out there for you to hire me anything, i don't even have my degree yet." she blushed a little. "i just made the connection in my head that you were looking for one and i'm going to school to be one."

he smiled. "the lab won't actually be built for another year or two. i'm just looking now to get ahead, you know. make my dad think i'm more put together than i actually am. so by then, you would have your degree. it's up to you though. if you want to show me your work, i'd be interested in looking."

annabeth nodded slowly, smiling softly. "okay, yeah. i'll think about it." she looked around the diner, seeing dirty plates to collect and a table of hers that looked about done. she laughed lightly. "okay, i should probably start doing my job again. sorry to distract you. um, let me know if you need anything else?"

he nodded. "don't worry, i don't mind the distraction."

she grinned, turning away to attend to her other table. and to make sure he didn't see her blush any more than she already had been. she cleaned up the dishes and gave the check to her other table. she wiped down their table and checked the time. 6:15 pm. she had 15 minutes until she was technically off, but servers weren't allowed to leave until their last table was done. luckily, she only had one table left.

each server had their own section of tables in the diner to cover, so as long as no one came in within the next 15 minutes and sat in her section, she would be able to leave when apple-pie-guy left. she should really learn his name.

she stood behind the bar with her hands on the counter, leaning her weight forward. she tried not to blatantly watch the clock. she had a few minutes left. annabeth looked over at her last table, seeing his plate was now empty. she walked over to collect it.

"can i get you anything else?" she asked.

he hesitated, then slowly shook his head. "just the check, please."

it seemed like he wanted to say more but annabeth was in no position to push him to tell her. she hardly knew him. "okay," she said with another smile. she went to the machine, ringing up his check. she placed the check in the book and walked back over. he already had his card in hand when she came back. he handed it to her with a small smile.

she took it, walked back over to swipe the card, and grabbed the receipt and a pen. she brought the checkbook back to him and held it in her hand, looking at him.

"if you put another hundred dollar bill in here, i'm gonna start kicking you out every time you come back here."

he laughed, tipping his head back a bit.

"okay, i won't," she said. she raised an eyebrow. "i promise, annabeth."

she smiled and set the book down. "good. also... what's your name? you know mine, i think i should know yours too."

"my name? wow, our friendship is getting pretty deep." annabeth rolled her eyes but smiled. "my name is percy."

"we're basically best friends now. we know each other's first names, an unbreakable bond," she said, making him laugh again. "have a good night, percy."

"you too," he said with a smile. she smiled too, then turned on her heels. she walked into the back to grab her stuff, getting ready to leave. when she came back into the diner, he was gone and the checkbook was left on the table. she picked it up, hesitating before opening it.

there wasn't a one hundred dollar bill this time. instead, there were two fifty's. annabeth's shoulders dropped. she felt guilty accepting this money. she pulled out the receipt, seeing another small note scribbled on there.

_you said not to give you "a $100 bill" so i didn't:)_

she smiled a little at him finding a loophole. she was gonna kill him.

-

three days later, annabeth had 30 minutes of her shift left when he walked in. she stood behind the bar, her hands placed on the countertop. it was a slow day. instead of sitting in his usual booth, he sat on a barstool at the counter, right in front of annabeth. he gave her a cheeky smile.

"hi, annabeth," he said. "can i please get a coke?" she bit back a smile.

"i'm mad at you," she said, moving to the soda machine to get his drink.

"what, why?" he pouted. he looked genuinely upset.

she set the coke in front of him. "i told you not to do that again," she said quietly. he broke out in a smile then.

"no, you told me-"

"percy," she whined. "i can't keep accepting that money." she kept her voice low. his green eyes looked a little blue today.

he smiled softly. "annabeth, it's really not a big deal," he said. she opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off. "i mean it. i want to. honestly, i think you deserve it."

she sighed. "do you do this with every waitress you meet?" she said with a soft smile.

"only ones with pretty gray eyes."

she forced herself to bite back a bigger smile but she couldn't stop the blush from spreading on her cheeks. he grinned, looking pleased with the effects his words had on her. "flattery will get you nowhere," she said, making him laugh. "do you want your usual?"

"please."

she turned around to put his order in the machine, allowing herself to smile now that he couldn't see her face.

"excuse me," she heard a small voice from behind her. she turned back around and only saw percy.

"um, unless you turned into a five year old girl for a second there, where did that come from?"

percy laughed and looked downwards to his left. suddenly, a small hand grabbed the edge of the counter. annabeth smiled and leaned forward on the counter until she could see the small girl standing there, who quickly pulled her hand back from the counter. she had red curly hair, bright green eyes, and freckles all across her face.

"hi there," annabeth said. the little girl looked up at her and broke out in a big smile. "what's your name?"

"i'm rachel," she said. annabeth noticed she was holding a five dollar bill in her hand.

"what can i do for you, rachel?"

she suddenly looked shy. "um... can i get a milkshake?"

"of course," annabeth said. "do you know what kind you want?"

"um..." the girl hesitated and looked back. annabeth followed her gaze and saw a woman in a booth with similar hair watching rachel. the woman smiled at annabeth. rachel looked back up and shrugged.

annabeth smiled again. "we have vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry." they had many more but annabeth figured she'd narrow down the girl's options a bit.

rachel's eyes lit up. "chocolate!"

percy and annabeth both laughed at her excitement.

"alrighty," annabeth said. she assumed the mother would prefer her daughter to have the kid’s size. "that'll be $4.23."

rachel handed annabeth the five dollar bill. she quickly got change and handed the coins back to rachel. "here you go. i'll bring it to your table when it's ready, okay?"

"okay!" rachel said before running back to her mom. annabeth stood back up, quickly punching in the order. when she turned back around, percy was smiling at her.

"what?" she asked.

he shook his head. "i just... didn't take you as someone who likes kids."

annabeth tilted her head. "why's that?"

just then, the chef in the kitchen placed the slice of apple pie on the ledge of the window connecting the kitchen and diner.

"sorry it took so long, i was making a fresh one," he said. "the milkshake will be out soon."

"it's okay, thank you, oliver," she said, grabbing the plate and putting it in front of percy along with some silverware.

"thank you," he said, pulling it closer. "and i don't know, i just didn't expect you to be, i guess."

"well, i mean," annabeth said, grabbing the milkshake that oliver handed her through the window. "you wouldn't be wrong. i'm not big on kids. or people in general, really. i'll be right back, let me go give this to rachel."

she walked over, smiling when rachel's eyes lit up as she saw annabeth.

"here you go," she said, handing it to her. rachel didn't hesitate to put the straw in her mouth and begin to down the whole thing.

"honey, what do you say?" her mom said. rachel blushed.

"thank you!"

"you're welcome," she said with a smile. then she looked at rachel's mom. "let me know if i can get anything else for you guys." they weren't annabeth's table, but she wouldn't have minded getting them something if they needed it.

"thank you," the woman said politely.

"of course," annabeth replied, walking away. she collected a few dirty dishes on her way back, dropping them off at the sink in the back and walking back over to where percy was. he smiled at her.

without thinking, she looked at the clock. her shift ended 4 minutes ago, meaning whenever percy was done, she could leave.

"when does your shift end?" he asked. she didn't want to tell him whenever he was done, in case he tried to rush himself for her sake.

"soon," she said with a shrug. he nodded. he was quiet for a second before looking at her, tilting his head.

"tell me about yourself, annabeth. all i know is your first name, you don't like people, and you wanna be an architect."

she smiled. "what do you wanna know?" she asked. she placed her forearms on the counter, leaning her weight forwards a bit.

"why do you wanna be an architect?" he asked.

"i've always loved it. like, i've always wanted to visit places like greece and rome to see all the older buildings there, they're so beautiful. plus, not to have a sob story or anything, but a lot of people in my past have been temporary. as an architect, it would give me the chance to build something permanent. something that could be here long after i'm gone."

she hadn't realized she was rambling until she saw the smile on percy's face. "what?" she asked, suddenly blushing.

"the way you kind of lit up about that was just... cute," he said. "i can tell you're passionate about it."

"yeah," she said quietly, looking at her hands.

"and the buildings in rome are very beautiful."

her eyes shot back up to his. "you've been to rome?"

"yeah, my family and i went a few years ago. it was incredible. i hope you get the chance to see it someday," he said. she smiled.

"me too."

"what about... your favorite color?" he asked, making her laugh.

"wow, we're getting to the intense stuff. i think purple, though. like a light purple. what about yours?"

"blue," he said. "i have a thing for blue."

"a thing for blue?" she asked. "like... a kink? blue turns you on?"

he laughed, his head falling back. "yeah, exactly. like the sky? whew, i can't look at it for too long, you know?" he said, making her laugh too. "but no. when i was younger, my stepdad at the time told my mom there was no such thing as blue food. she took it upon herself to dye most of the food she made blue. she's back with my father now, so we eat like normal people now. although she still makes blue cookies. and they are superior to any other cookie in the world."

annabeth nodded slowly. "interesting. i don't have a backstory for my favorite color. i just think purple is pretty."

he laughs. "valid."

they looked at each other for a second. she forced herself to keep a straight face as she watched his eyes quickly glance at her lips. he looked like he wanted to say something, but before he got the chance, jasmine walked out from the back, tying her apron around her waist.

"annabeth? i thought your shift ended at six?"

percy's eyebrows scrunched together and he looked at his watch. "your shift ended almost thirty minutes ago?"

annabeth bit her lip. she chose to ignore percy's eyes glancing at them again. "we, uh, aren't supposed to leave until our last customer is done."

"oh, i'm sorry, i didn't mean to keep you here." he quickly reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet and getting his card.

"it's okay!" she reassured him quickly. "really, it's not like i had anything else to do tonight. plus i... don't mind your company. so..."

she smiled at the way his eyes lit up. "yours isn't so bad either," he said, handing her his card.

she stood upright and walked over to the machine, ringing him up and swiping his card. she took the receipt and turned back around. his eyes quickly snapped up to hers. she blushed, averting her eyes as she put his card and the receipt in front of him.

he had been checking her out.

annabeth forced herself to ignore any feelings she had about that. she took a pen from her apron and held it out, looking at him.

"you aren't allowed to tip me," she said seriously. he smiled at her and she just shook her head. "i'm serious. i'm not taking any more cash from you."

"okay," he said, putting his hands up in surrender, then taking the pen. "okay."

he smiled. annabeth wiped down the counter as she waited for him to sign. after he did, he slid the receipt and pen back over.

"what's your last name?" he asked.

she scrunched her eyebrows together at the abrupt question. "chase," she answered. "what's yours?"

"annabeth chase," he said. she liked the way it sounded when he said it. "mine is jackson."

"percy jackson." she smiled. "okay. well, have a good night, percy."

he stood up, smiling at her. "you too, annabeth." she turned around as he left, a stupid smile on her face.

"so," jasmine said. "who is that?"

annabeth blushed. "a friend, i think? he's only been here, like, three times but he's... really nice."

"mhm," she said. "a friend."

"shush." annabeth laughed quietly. "okay, it's time for me to go home."

"bye annabeth," jasmine said.

"bye," she replied. she went into the back to grab her stuff and she realized she was still holding percy's receipt. she looked at it and her jaw dropped.

she said she wouldn't take his cash. so he tipped her on his card.

-

annabeth had gotten sick for four days. two of those days, she was supposed to work. as much as she hated calling out of work, she did. and each day, she wondered if percy was at the diner. when she came back, she found herself hoping he would come in.

he did. he smiled at her as he walked in and sat in his regular booth. she walked up to the table.

"i swear, i'm going to kill you."

"hello to you, annabeth. lovely to see you on this nice monday afternoon." he laughed lightly. "you weren't here friday?"

she nodded, absentmindedly tucking her hair behind her ear. "i was sick."

"ah. well, i'm glad you're back, i missed you. also i've never seen you with your hair down."

he missed her? annabeth wasn't blushing. not at all.

"yeah, i normally put it up but it didn't look bad this morning so i figured why not leave it down? plus my manager isn't here to tell me to put it up." she smiled when he laughed. "do you want your usual?"

"it looks nice down," he said. she still wasn't blushing at all. "and yes, please."

"coming right up," she said, turning on her heels. a stupid smile broke out on her face once he couldn't see her. he had missed her.

she attended to her other tables after putting in percy's order and bringing him his drink, receiving another smile from him. annabeth felt stupid. he had only been in here four times. she barely knew him. yet she found herself thinking about his smile, even as she brought a check to one of her other tables. after they had left, she cleaned off their table. aside from percy, she had one other table. she was glad today was slow, she needed a slow day.

she walked behind the bar, stretching briefly before grabbing percy's order. she brought it over to him, setting it down. part of the table was now covered in papers, some containing notes, some blank, and a few with vague sketches of buildings.

"thank you," he said with another smile. she looked at the sketches.

"for your lab?" she asked. he nodded.

"yeah. i found a few people who are interested but... i'm not sure if i really love any of their designs. it's not just a lab, it's also going to be, like, an office too? not a headquarters or anything, but still a little more upscaled than a regular office building. does that make sense? and i want it to be modern, but not weird, like some of these designs are."

she laughed. "it's cute how stressed you are over this. you still have a while before it's built."

now he blushed. she didn't show it on her face, but she felt a little proud of her effect on him.

"you know, i could really use an expert's opinion." he nodded his head towards the opposite side of the booth.

"i'm working!" she said with a laugh. she glanced back at her other table. they were almost done.

"when do you get off?"

"six."

he checked his watch. "one more hour? ugh, annabeth. you're killing me."

she smiled, shaking her head. "i have one other table. once they're gone... maybe i'll sit with you. if i get fired, it's on you though."

he smiled widely at this. "make them leave faster then."

she rolled her eyes. "i'll be back soon."

she walked over to her other table, asking if they needed anything. it was a boy and girl who looked so in love, it could've been out of a movie. the girl looked across the table at him. "do you want dessert?" she asked. he nodded quickly, making her smile.

they ordered a sundae to share, as well as the check. annabeth smiled, going to put their order in, then ringing them up and printing the check. she waited until the sundae was ready before bringing them both to the table. the boy took the checkbook, quickly checking the price, then handing it back to annabeth with his card.

"jason," the girl whined, drawing out his name and pouting.

"piper," he mocked her, elongating her name too.

"you paid last time!" the girl exclaimed. annabeth laughed under her breath.

"it's literally your birthday?" he said.

"oh, happy birthday!" annabeth said. "i'll take the sundae off the check. unless you'd rather i have the staff sing to you. but i assume a free sundae would be better."

piper laughed quickly. "please, no singing. but thank you for the sundae though!" she gave annabeth a grateful smile.

"no problem! i'll be right back," she said, turning on her heels. she took the sundae off the bill, swiped his card, and grabbed the receipt, bringing it back. "here you guys go! have a good rest of your night, i'll be around if you need me for anything else."

"thank you!" they both said. annabeth nodded. she felt a small rush of giddiness when she realized she was free now. she practically skipped over to percy's booth, placing her hands on the table. she leaned forward a bit and gave him a smile.

"hi," she said simply.

his face broke out in a huge grin. "hi. are you free now?" she nodded. "good, sit!"

she looked around the diner and caught jasmine's eye. she gave annabeth a knowing smile. annabeth rolled her eyes in response but didn't drop her smile. jasmine had one table and their other coworker, cora, had two people at the bar. it seemed slow enough.

annabeth slid into the booth across from percy. he was practically glowing with happiness, his eyes sparkling.

"can i see some sketches?" she asked. he slid a few in front of her. they weren't super detailed. there were two modern looking buildings, one of which was just weird, and there was an older looking design. "i like this one, but it doesn't really give off lab-office vibes." she picked up the older style of building. from what she could see, it was brick and seemed shorter than she would've expected for a lab/office.

"yeah," percy agreed. "one of the guys i was talking to gave me that and i felt like it wasn't right. we're going to be right next to the ocean, obviously. marine biology and all, you know? and i feel like i'd prefer something more modern. fits the vibe, as you said."

"yes, not the right vibes."

he laughed and she looked at him. annabeth ignored him glancing at her lips again.

"what kind of building do you see for it? what are the vibes?" she asks. she crossed her arms, leaning forward and placing her elbows on the table. he mirrored her actions.

"something modern, like i mentioned, and this may be a shock, but i want it to be blue. or white, and then the inside have a lot of blue. i might prefer that idea, to be honest. and tall? these are very vague description words. but that's why i'm not an architect."

annabeth laughed. "no, you're doing great. modern, white and blue, tall. i can already see it." they kept discussing the general design of the building he pictures. she had taken his notebook and was writing things about his ideas down. her hair fell forward any time she leaned her head down, forcing her to continuously push it back.

"you're really pretty," percy said suddenly. annabeth stopped in the middle of a word. she looked up at him, a smile growing on her face. she knew her cheeks were pink. he had placed his chin in the palm of his hand, his elbow on the table, and his eyes on her. she shook her head and looked back down, continuing her writing.

"stop flirting with me," she said. she didn't stop smiling though.

"why? you have a boyfriend who will come kick my ass or something?" he asked.

she chuckled, still writing (and maybe still blushing.) "a boyfriend, hm? you're funny."

he was quiet for a second. "so you don't?"

she stopped writing and looked up at him, crossing her arms on the table again. "no. i don't. i don't remember the last time i spoke to a boy, to be honest."

he blinked. "what... am i then?"

"a customer."

"honestly, i'm a little hurt."

she laughed. she noticed the couple from before getting up and leaving so annabeth made the quick decision to grab percy's wrist and look at his watch. 5:27. she had thirty-three minutes left. 

"wh- there's a clock on the wall?" he said, laughing.

"yeah, and there's one right here. let me go clean up that table from earlier and also maybe the diner a bit, considering i am still working."

"boo," he said. "wait, here. for my food." he handed her his card. she rolled her eyes, standing up and taking his empty plate and his card with her. she cleared off the couple's table, slipping the ten dollar tip into her pocket. annabeth brought the dishes to the back, quickly rang percy up and swiped his card. she dropped his card back off, then wiped down the bar and the table where the couple had been. she went to get the broom but jasmine stopped her.

"girl, get back over there. you got thirty minutes left, i'll take anyone that comes in. that boy looks like he's two seconds away from being wrapped around your finger."

annabeth smiled. "you don't have to jas, let me keep cleaning," she said. jasmine rolled her eyes. 

"annabeth chase, get your ass back over there."

annabeth looked at her, biting back a bigger smile. "are you sure?" in response, jasmine turned her around and untied her apron and taking it from her, making annabeth laugh. "okay, okay. i'm going. thank you!" she said. she quickly made her way back to percy's table and sat down.

"i was forced to take off early," she said. percy smiled but scrunched his eyebrows together.

"is that related to your coworker untying your apron against your will?" he asked, and she laughed again. she seemed to laugh a lot around him.

"yep."

"why did she make you take off?"

she bit her lip (and percy noticed). "she told me to come back over here."

"oh?" he asked. he raised an eyebrow.

"yep. what were we talking about?" she asked, changing the subject.

"you don't have a boyfriend."

"oh, yes. do you have a girlfriend? it's only fair that i know now."

she was only asking because he asked her. obviously. she hadn't been curious for any other reason.

he blinked at her a few times. "yes, annabeth. i have a girlfriend and i still decide to flirt with the pretty waitress," he deadpanned.

she chuckled. "wow, someone should tell her about your flirting habits."

"yeah, let me call her right now," he said, making her laugh. "but in case the sarcasm and flirting wasn't enough, no. i don't have a girlfriend."

"good to know," she said quietly. he stayed silent but his eyes lit up at her words. she smiled at him, then looking down at the notebook from earlier. she was reading over her own notes, trying to piece together a picture in her mind of what the building could look like.

"tell me more about yourself, annabeth chase."

she looked back up at him. "what do you wanna know? i'm not that interesting."

he thought for a second. "what's your favorite movie genre?"

"either action or horror."

"horror? didn't take you as a scary movie girl."

"i'm sorry, did you take me as a rom-com girl?" she asked, making him laugh.

"no, definitely not."

they went back and forth asking stupid questions, making each other laugh with some of their answers.

"what's your biggest fear?" he asked her.

"spiders," she answered instantly. he scrunched his face up a little.

"really? most people would say like... death, being alone forever, or you know, something actually scary. and you say spiders?"

her eyes widened. "are you not scared of them?" she asked, incredulously. "they're literally the most disgusting creatures to exist."

he laughed. he leaned back and crossed his arms, looking at her. "spiders," he said. "i don't know what i expected you to say, but it certainly wasn't a tiny bug."

she shook her head. "okay, what's yours?"

"i mean, aside from death? probably heights."

"heights are cool."

"not really," he said. she laughed quietly. they were silent for a second, then percy hit her foot with his.

"yes?" she asked.

"nothing. just wanted to annoy you."

she chuckled, running her hand through her hair to push it away from her face. percy tilted his head as he looked at her. she did the same to mock him.

"what?" she asked.

"nothing," he said quietly. "i just like looking at you."

"some people would consider that creepy."

he laughed softly. "you're nice to look at."

she just shook her head. for the record, annabeth thought the same thing about him. his eyes always seemed to sparkle. today they were a bit more blue than the usual green. his black hair was a little long and pushed back loosely. annabeth wondered if it was usually this long. he almost always had a smile on. she also wondered if he was always like that. or if it was just around her. she was aware of the fact that _she_ tended to be more smiley around him.

"now who's being creepy, chase?"

she blinked. she hadn't realized she had practically been staring at him for a minute.

"sorry," she said. she bit her lip again. he noticed. maybe she was doing that on purpose now.

"it's fine. i'm flattered, really."

she laughed. "see, i can't say you're cute if you're gonna be all cocky," she said. he smiled. annabeth didn't miss the way his cheeks turned pink.

"oh, i'm cute?"

"not anymore, sorry." she shrugged.

"mhm."

annabeth reached her left hand out. he looked at her in confusion. she just smiled and made a grabbing motion with her hand, like a toddler would. he slowly picked up his left arm, placing his hand in hers. she leaned forward, twisting his arm a little to look at his watch. he scoffed.

"rude," he said. "i thought you wanted to hold my hand." she smiled again, dropping their hands to the table, not letting go.

"i did," she said. "but i also wanted to check the time."

it was just after seven. they had been sitting there for an hour, just talking. his eyes glanced at their hands, then shook his head softly.

"for someone who isn't into rom-coms, that was pretty smooth," he said. she chuckled softly, then sighed.

"i should go soon, though," she said quietly. "i have homework. and a class at 8 am."

"wow, you hold my hand, only to leave right after."

she laughed again. "sorry. what can i say? i'm a heartbreaker."

they talked quietly for a bit longer. percy had asked about her classes and she did her best not to bore him talking about her schedule. annabeth had lost count of the amount of times he had looked at her lips while she was talking.

at some point, annabeth noticed he had this look on his face. like he wanted to say something.

"what?" she asked. he hesitated, then smiled a bit.

"would you... maybe want to go out with me sometime? somewhere other than here?" his voice was quiet and shy. annabeth almost broke out into a wide smile, when she had a thought. she tilted her head a bit, looking at him.

he sensed her hesitation. "you're allowed to say no," he whispered. her eyes widened a bit.

"no, no," she said quickly. "i... i want to say yes. i just-" she cut herself off, thinking. then she leaned forward, keeping one hand in his, her other forearm resting on the table and she lowered her voice. "this past week or so, you've given me... a lot of money. despite me _really_ not wanting you to. and i just... i don't want you to think me saying yes has anything to do with that."

he nodded slowly. "for starters, i've given you that because i think you deserve it. and also because i know it makes you mad now." he smiled when she rolled her eyes. "but it was never meant to, like, buy your attention or affection in any way. just to be clear. but okay, if you were to say yes, it has nothing to do with money. right?"

"absolutely. i want to say yes because," she trailed off, blushing and looking down at their hands. "because i want to get to know you more. i really like being around you, percy."

"okay," he said. she looked back up at him. he was smiling. "i believe you. if you're saying yes, it's purely because i'm just irresistible."

she laughed but nodded. "as long as you know that, then yes, i'm saying yes." she allowed herself to smile wider now. she was still blushing.

it was nearing 7:30 when she decided to go. she blushed a little more when percy offered to walk her to her car.

"let me go grab my stuff from the back," she said, finally letting go of his hand. she walked into the employee room, slipping on her hoodie and grabbing her small, leather backpack she used in place of a purse.

when she came back into the diner, percy was standing in the same spot with his notes in his hands, looking around the diner absentmindedly. his face lit up when he saw her again. she walked up to him and he seemed hesitant.

"what?" she asked.

"is it stupid of me to ask to hold your hand again?"

she laughed, taking his hand.

"idiot."

"hey! i just... wanted to be sure."

she smiled up at him and they walked out of the diner, taking their time.

"my car is over there," she said, pointing to her small, silver car. they walked in that direction.

"thank you for all the, like, building design help. and also just for hanging out with me," he said. annabeth was grateful that the sun was setting so he couldn't see her blush again.

"it was fun," she said. "unless i get fired for sitting on the job. then i'll kill you." he laughed.

a moment later, they had reached her car. annabeth took her keys out of the hoodie pocket, pressing the button to unlock her door. she looked up and her breath hitched when she realized how close they were. there was about 6 inches of space between their faces.

"thank you for walking me," she said quietly. he smiled softly.

"of course," he replied. he glanced at her lips and for a second, she thought he was going to kiss her. instead, he took a small step back and dropped her hand. annabeth didn't know how to feel about the idea of him kissing her. she decided to push that thought away for another time.

"see you soon, annabeth. have a good night."

"yeah," she replied quietly. "you too, percy." he began to walk away and she turned, opening her car door. she was about to get in when he turned on his heels, already a few feet away from her car.

"annabeth," he called. she looked up at him. "check your pocket."

he smiled, turning back around walking away. she furrowed her brows and reached into her hoodie pocket. _you've got to be kidding,_ she thought.

"percy, i'm seriously going to kill you!"

she could hear his laugh despite him being halfway across the lot. she sat in her car, locked her doors. from her pocket, she pulled out two fifty's and a small, folded paper. she had no idea when he had even put that in her pocket. annabeth unfolded the paper and looked at his neat handwriting.

_did you really think i wasn't going to tip you? :)_

-

annabeth doesn't see percy for another week and a half. and she'd be lying if she said it hadn't made her upset. more often than not, she found herself checking the door or his usual booth, hoping to see him. it's a friday when he comes in. eleven days since she had last seen him. she couldn't help the large smile that broke out across her face when she saw him. it was nearing midnight and unfortunately, they were almost as busy as it had been the friday he had come in here the first time they met.

instead of sitting in his booth, he came and sat at the bar in front of her. annabeth's smile dropped quickly when she saw the look on his face.

"hey," she said quietly, resting her forearms on the counter and leaning forward. "are you okay?"

he looked up at her miserably. "no," he said simply. his voice sounded rough. annabeth looked over at her other tables. she had three groups to serve still, two of which were close to finishing up.

"i still have three tables, so i'll try to be here as much as possible. as much as i'd love to ignore them and only sit here and talk to you, i kind of need this job." she gives him a soft smile. his hands are clasped together on the table in front of him. annabeth reaches forward and sets her hand on his. "do you want your usual?" she asked. "it's almost midnight, so it'll count as a real midnight snack this time."

he gave her a sad smile but shook his head. "can i just have a water, please?"

she nodded, squeezing his hand lightly before letting go. she got him a cup of ice water, setting it in front of him. "let me go check on my other tables. i'll be right back, percy."

she walked up to her first table, asking if they need anything and lucky for her, they asked for their check. she smiled, clearing a few of their plates and promising to be right back. she took the dirty dishes to the back, then went to the machine behind the counter to pull up their check and print it out. she dropped the checkbook off at their table, moving to check on her other two.

the second table was close to finishing but didn't ask for their check yet. annabeth ignored how annoyed it made her feel. instead, she smiled and nodded, moving to her last table. it was a couple who hadn't even ordered yet.

"hi guys, are you ready to order?" she asked, pulling out her small notepad. a girl with dark, short, and spiky hair looked up at her.

"hi, i think we're just going to share an order of the cheese fries, with no bacon on them please," she said with a smile. then she looked across the table at her girlfriend. at least, annabeth assumed they were together based on the loving looks they gave each other. "did you want anything else, zoe?"

the other girl, zoe, was the complete opposite of her girlfriend. zoe had long, dark brown hair with caramel highlights that was pinned back, light makeup and she was only wearing colors that reminded annabeth of easter. whereas her girlfriend not only had dark hair, she also had dark clothing, dark eyeliner, and quite a few piercings lining her ear.

"could i also get a medium strawberry milkshake, please?" zoe asked with a slight accent that annabeth couldn't place.

"of course, anything else?" annabeth asked. the couple both shook their heads. "okay, that'll be right out." on her way back to the counter, annabeth grabbed the checkbook from her first table, smiling as someone thanked her. behind the counter, she placed the order for the two girls, then swiped the card of the first table. as she made her way back, she stopped in front of percy.

"i'm almost done being busy, i promise," she said, looking at him sympathetically. he gave her a small smile.

"it's okay, take your time annabeth," he said. she reached out and squeezed his hands once again. she couldn't ignore the small ache she felt in her heart and she didn't even know why he was upset yet. then she quickly made her way back to her first table to give them their receipt.

she was about to walk back to percy when she heard an "excuse me?" and turned her head to see a lady at her second table raising her hand to call her over. annabeth plastered on a fake smile.

"what can i get for you guys?" she asked, picking up a few dirty dishes.

"the check, please. whenever you get the chance."

annabeth's heart soared. "no problem! i'll be right back!" she took the dishes to the back, went to get their check, then brought it back to their table. she sighed once she turned away, wanting nothing more than to just stop working for ten minutes to talk to percy. she grabbed the checkbook from her first table, wiping it down. a million possibilities went through her mind as to what might be wrong with percy.

she went back to her second table, grabbed the checkbook with the card sticking out, and made her way back to the counter. she shot percy an apologetic look as she walked by him. she swiped the card, printing the receipt. she also quickly took out the receipt and her tip from the first table's checkbook. she glanced at the clock. 12:27. she tried not to feel guilty knowing percy had been here for almost thirty minutes and she's barely gotten to say two sentences to him.

annabeth realized the order for the two girls was ready so she tucked the checkbook for her second table in her apron, grabbed the food and the milkshake, and quickly rushed over to their table. zoe's eyes lit up like a little kid’s when annabeth handed her the milkshake.

"thank you!" they both said in unison.

"no problem, let me know if i can get you anything else." then she brought the check back to the table, smiling and clearing off their last few dishes. once the dishes were in the sink, she quickly found herself across from percy again.

"i'm so sorry," she said immediately. "i only have one table left now and i was trying to be fast, but i feel so bad because you've been sitting here for, like, thirty minutes and-"

"annabeth," he said, placing his hand on top of hers this time. "it's okay. i know you're working."

she looked at him sadly. "i know. i just... you're upset about something and i wanna be here," she said quietly, looking at his hand on top of hers. for once, she didn't try to ignore the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. for once, she allowed herself to revel in the way he made her feel like a young teenage girl with a (big) crush. maybe this wasn't the best time to think about the depth of her feelings for him, considering he was clearly upset and that was more important, but looking at his hand on hers, it was all she could think about.

"it's okay," he said again. she looked up at him for a minute. then she smiled a little as she grabbed his hand to look at his watch. her smile grew when he chuckled. 12:41.

"i get off at one," she said, looking at him. "stay until then. please? i know you said it's okay but i wanna make it up to you."

he smiled softly, turning his head and furrowing his brows. annabeth suddenly wanted to kiss him. and while she was usually good with timing- she was never late, usually early- the fact that she was overwhelmed by her feelings for him all of a sudden, while something was clearly going on with him... her timing couldn't have been worse.

"make it up how?" he asked quietly.

she shrugged. "i didn't think that far ahead," she admitted, blushing a little. but she decided blushing in front of him like that was worth it if it meant his smile would grow like it just had. "but i still want to. so stay?" she asked.

she flipped their hands over so his palm was facing upwards, then intertwined their fingers. he smiled a bit more. he then bit his lip and annabeth glanced at the movement before she even realized what she had done. _maybe he didn't notice,_ she thought. but the glint in his eyes told her differently.

"okay," he said. "i was gonna stay anyways. but now i got to hold your hand, which was a nice bonus."

she laughed lightly. then she glanced at the table with zoe and her girlfriend. they were finishing up. annabeth also realized she never finished cleaning off her second table from earlier.

"okay, i'll be right back," she said, dropping his hand carefully. she made her way to the empty table from earlier, cleaning it off and taking the checkbook, placing it in her apron. then she walked over to the couple.

"can i get you guys anything else?" she asked. _please say the check,_ annabeth thought.

"just the check," the girl with the dark hair said with a small smile.

"no problem!" annabeth took the dirty plates, dropping them off at the sink before ringing the girls up. when she was walking back, they were in a playful argument.

"thalia, stop. you aren't paying. you always pay."

" _i_ asked _you_ to go out tonight?"

"we've been together for two years, that thing doesn't apply."

annabeth grinned as she set the checkbook down in the middle of the table. in an instant, the one with the dark hair, who annabeth assumed was thalia, snatched it away from zoe. she placed her card inside and handed it back to annabeth. zoe simply pouted.

"i'll be right back with this," annabeth said, laughing a little as she turned away. when she walked past percy, he was looking down at his phone, frowning. annabeth was almost tempted to leave early but she didn't want to risk anything with her manager. she swiped thalia's card, then brought it back to the couple. they both already had their jackets on, ready to go.

annabeth handed thalia the checkbook and then cleaned off a nearby table while she waited. thalia removed her card, signed the receipt, and slid a five dollar bill in there for annabeth. then they both stood up and started walking out.

"have a good night, guys!" annabeth said. they both thanked her with smiles and a wave from zoe. annabeth quickly cleaned off their table, rushing back to where percy was. she didn't hesitate to check his watch. 12:53. she smiled widely. "okay let me clean a bit so i look like i'm doing my job and then we can go."

"go where?" he asked.

"wherever, i don't know." she smiled. she felt elated and she couldn't exactly put her finger on why. she knew it had to do with percy, but it's not like he had said or done something specific to make her feel this way. he smiled in return, but his eyes were still sad. she wiped off a few tables and swept a little. as she was putting the broom back, she got an idea.

she took a to-go box and put a small slice of apple pie in it, along with two plastic forks. she carefully stuck it in her bag, trying to keep it flat. she looked up at the clock on the wall and her face broke out into a big smile. 1:01. she pulled her apron off, hanging it up and carefully slipped on her bag. she walked into the diner and saw percy sitting there with his head in his hands. her smile dropped and her heart ached. she walked up behind him.

"hey," she said quietly. he sat up and turned, a small smile forming on his face.

"hey," he replied. she held out her hand and he took it instantly. she pulled him out of the diner.

"where should we go?" she asked him, steering them in the direction of her car. he sighed, then shrugged. she thought for a second. "i have an idea," she told him as she unlocked her car.

"but my car is here too," he said, looking at her.

"i'll bring you back, duh."

he smiled softly, getting in the passenger side. she got in and almost threw her bag in the back like she normally does before remembering the pie. she reached back and carefully set it behind her seat. she started her car and looked over at him.

"what's wrong?" annabeth asked softly. the happiness she had felt before dissipated a bit. he reached out and grabbed her hand, playing with her fingers absentmindedly. she smiled softly at the action. the elation may have faded, but the butterflies in her stomach were still very present. "do you wanna tell me when we get to where we're going?" she asked.

he simply nodded. she tightened her grip on his hand and began driving. they were only in the car for a few minutes as annabeth drove them down the street. they were silent the whole time. eventually, annabeth stopped in a gravel parking lot. percy looked up at their surroundings.

"we're at a park?"

"yes," annabeth said. "but there's somewhere specific in the park we're going. come on." she turned off the car, grabbed her bag (carefully), and got out. percy closed the passenger door and looked at her.

"is this where you're gonna murder me?"

she laughed. "maybe. now come on."

she began walking, waiting for him to catch up. she didn't hesitate to grab his hand again.

"my grandma used to take me to this park all the time. there was this one bench next to the lake we would sit on, when i wasn't running around playing, and she would tell me stories. so i come here whenever i need to think. or if i'm feeling sad, or sometimes angry. usually that isn't at 1 am, but still, it helps," she said quietly. "and you're sad. or you seem sad, at least. so hopefully, it'll help."

in the dim light of the park lamps, annabeth could see him smile a little.

"hopefully," he whispered. they stayed silent for the rest of the walk, which was only another minute long. as they came up to the bench, annabeth felt a wave of security and calm wash over her. she sat down first, with percy sitting right next to her. in front of them, about ten feet away, was a small lake. she looked up at percy, holding his hand in both of hers.

"i'm listening, whenever you're ready," she whispered. he was quiet for a bit. while she waited, annabeth thought about her current situation. percy had come into the diner a total of five times now. yet he already knew more about her than most of the friends she had from school. and she already had a lot of feelings for him. and now she was sitting on her bench with him. she had never shown anyone this spot, let alone tell someone the significance. but she felt like she could trust percy. she was pulled out of her thoughts when he sniffled.

"um, my mom got sick. last week. it was really sudden and... really bad. she's the most important person in my life and i'm just-" he cut himself off with a shaky breath. annabeth held his hand tighter. "i'm scared. she's going into surgery tomorrow. she has something wrong with her liver, i think."

annabeth was quiet for a minute, making sure he was done before speaking. "i remember you telling me about your mom once. you said she was one of the strongest people you knew. right?"

he nodded, sniffling again.

"so remember that. she's strong. and she's in the hands of professionals who do everything they can to help people every day. i know it's not easy to just ignore all of the 'what if's' and the negative thoughts. but try to remember the good things too. and if you can, focus on those."

she held percy's hand tightly and placed her head on his shoulder. he took some shaky breaths. it was a while before he spoke.

"i came to the diner because i knew you'd be able to help," he whispered. "i didn't know how you would or what you would do. but i just knew being around you would calm me down. even if we had sat in a booth and been silent, it would've helped."

"probably would've been boring though," she replied, making him chuckle. "i much rather prefer this outcome."

"me too," he said. she pulled her head back and looked at him, moving his hair out of his face. if the circumstances had been different, annabeth might've kissed him right there. but she knew better.

"oh, i brought you something," annabeth said. percy's expression morphed into confusion as annabeth let go of his hand and reached into her bag. she pulled out the to-go box.

"you don't have to eat it right now if you aren't up for it," she said before opening it. "it happens to taste very good heated up in the microwave too." she then popped open the lid and percy smiled. a real smile, perhaps for the first time that night. it made annabeth’s breath catch in her throat.

"annabeth chase, it's like you know the way to my heart."

they sat there, eating it together. annabeth told percy a story about her getting bit by a turtle at this lake, making him laugh. he told her a few stories about his mom. she found herself loving the way he told stories. he got very into it. she noticed his eyes looked dark green in the dim lighting. annabeth still loved them.

they ended up finishing the pie. annabeth threw the empty box away in a trashcan on the way back to her car. it was nearing 2 am. she kept her hand in his the entire drive back, which was only a few minutes. she parked near his car, yet he made no move to get out yet.

"thank you," he said quietly. "i really, really needed tonight."

before she could reply, he brought her hand up to his lips, kissing her knuckles. annabeth's heart soared.

"of course," she told him. "you can always come to me."

they locked eyes. annabeth dug her nails into her palm to keep herself from leaning in. he began to let her hand go when she realized something.

"wait," she said quickly. he tilted his head. "i don't work tomorrow. but i... i wanna know how the surgery goes. if that's okay. can i... give you my number?" she knew she was blushing and she knew he could probably tell.

"i've been wanting to get it for weeks now," he said, pulling out his phone, holding it out to her. "so yes. but please know, i will be abusing this power and you're gonna regret giving it to me."

she smiled, taking the phone. "i don't think i'll regret it." she typed in her number. as she typed in her name, she contemplated adding a heart next to it. _eh, why not?_ she thought. she put a simple red heart emoji after her name and handed the phone back.

"oh good," he said, smiling. "you saved me the trouble of having to put the heart there myself."

her smile widened. "goodnight, percy. text me so i have your number too, yeah?"

"i will," he said. he picked up her hand again, kissing her knuckles once more. "goodnight annabeth. thank you again."

she just smiled at him as he got out. and she continued smiling even after he was gone. she really had it bad for this boy. she was about to begin driving when her phone buzzed in her pocket. she pulled it out and if possible, she smiled even wider.

_you better put a heart next to my name too_

-

annabeth couldn't help but feel anxious. it was the next day. the day percy's mom was having surgery. she had never even met the woman, yet annabeth found herself sick to her stomach with nerves. she knew how important his mom was to him. and at this point, annabeth had allowed herself to admit how much she cared for percy.

she kept thinking about last night, or rather 1 am this morning. he had been so vulnerable and open with her. he had trusted her. it made her heart feel like it was going to beat right out of her chest. he made her feel that way. she pulled out her phone and decided to text him.

 _what time is the surgery?_ she asked. as she waited, she smiled a little at the heart next to his name. he may have been joking when he told her to put one, but chances are she was going to put one anyways. her attention was brought back to his texts as her phone buzzed in her hand.

_1:00_

annabeth bit her lip. that was only 45 minutes from now.

 _good luck,_ she typed out. as she was about to press send, she stopped. she added another sentence. _text me if you need a distraction or anything while she's in surgery._

his reply came only a few seconds later. _i will. thank you. it means a lot._

_of course. i'm always here._

he didn't reply to her. annabeth took a small breath, then forced herself to become busy as her own distraction. she took her phone off silent first though, leaving it on the counter with the volume up in case he texted her back.

by the time he did, it was nearing 2 o'clock. annabeth had deep cleaned her entire kitchen. she cleaned when she was nervous. her heart jumped when she heard her phone ding twice from its place on the counter. she quickly grabbed it, sliding open his texts.

_i feel like i can't breathe._

_annabeth, i'm so scared._

she frowned. she felt like she wanted to hug him.

_try to relax. easier said than done, i know, but try bub. she's strong, remember?_

annabeth pressed send, then felt a small twinge of regret. she had called him bub. without thinking. she didn't even know where that nickname came from. she hoped he wouldn't mind.

_i know. i'm trying._

they texted back and forth for another 45 minutes. annabeth did her best to keep him calm and distracted. she couldn't tell how well it was working but she tried. at some point, he stopped replying. annabeth figured her surgery was done. she waited. nearly 20 minutes later, she got a reply.

_can i meet you at that bench?_

her heart dropped. she quickly sent a text saying she would be there soon, then rushed to get ready. she couldn't help the feeling of anxiety sitting in her stomach. it took her ten minutes to get there. the bench was empty so she assumed she beat him there. she sat and waited.

eventually, she saw him walking towards her. percy had his hands tucked into the pocket of his hoodie. annabeth couldn't see the expression on his face. until he got closer. she felt her heart begin to break.

"percy," she muttered, standing up. he didn't look at her until he was right in front of her. "hey," she whispered, taking in his sad expression. he looked at her for a few seconds.

then a slow smile grew on his face. "she's going to be okay."

annabeth felt relief wash over her. she still punched his shoulder though.

"god, percy! you scared me, i've been so worried all day." she then threw her arms around his neck, hugging him close.

"i just wanted to mess with you," he laughed, hugging her back. then his voice dropped to a whisper. "i'm so happy though. thank you."

annabeth pulled back just enough to look at him, staying in his embrace. his eyes were sparkling as she looked at him.

"we should do something to celebrate," she suggested. her voice was quiet.

his eyes flicked down to her lips for a split second, then back to her eyes. "yeah? like what?"

she tilted her head, smiling. she played with the hair at the nape of his neck absentmindedly. "hm... maybe that date you promised me?" she whispered.

percy's eyes lit up for a moment. then he bit his lip. "i have to get back to the hospital soon," he said.

"that's okay," she assured him quickly. "we don't have to right now. but once she's home and everything?"

he nodded. "of course."

she looked at him for a moment. she really wanted to kiss him. instead, she pulled him into another hug. she could wait until after their date to kiss him.

"you should get going," she whispered. annabeth pulled out of the hug and took his hand instead. he smiled, nodding. their hands swung between them as they walked.

"thank you again, annabeth," he said quietly.

she looked up at him. "of course," annabeth told him. they smiled at each other and annabeth looked away when she blushed. they reached percy's car first. he smiled, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. the butterflies returned to annabeth's stomach. her arms wrapped around his torso. when she began to pull away, he placed one hand on her waist, then slid it to the small of her back.

he moved his other hand up to cup her jaw, and they locked eyes. percy glanced at her lips, like annabeth had seen him do so many times. then he leaned in and kissed her.

annabeth's breath caught in her throat, and she gripped the sides of his hoodie. she didn't hesitate to kiss him back. she felt more than just butterflies now. their lips moved together for a minute. then percy pulled back a few inches. her eyes fluttered open and his bright green ones were closer than they ever had been.

percy kept his hand on her jaw, and annabeth’s stayed holding fistfuls of his hoodie. she smiled up at him.

"i was gonna wait until after our date to do that," she said quietly. percy's smile matched hers.

"mm, so should i not have done that?" he asked.

"no, no," annabeth replied, tugging him impossibly closer. "i'm definitely not complaining." she stood up on her toes and kissed him again.

-

three days later, they were holding hands and laughing as they walked out of a movie theater.

"percy, it was so bad," annabeth said. he rolled his eyes.

"i mean what did we expect?" he replied, making her laugh harder. they hadn't been able to decide on a movie so when percy suggested (as a joke) they watch a kids movie that had looked absolutely awful, annabeth agreed. "it's your fault. you agreed to watch it. i wasn't being serious when i suggested it."

"it was fun to make fun of it," she said, shrugging. he chuckled, letting go of her hand and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. they walked towards his car.

"want to get something to eat?" he asked her.

"please," she said. he smiled and opened the passenger side door of his car for her. annabeth tried and failed to bite back a grin, sliding into the car. he got in the driver's side and she looked over at him. "i'm buying the food."

he looked at her incredulously. "no? you bought the movie tickets?"

"sucks," she said, smiling at him. "you can pick the place though." he shook his head, beginning to drive. she took his hand with both of hers and brought it up to her lips, kissing his knuckles. it was dark outside, but with the occasional glow of a street lamp they'd pass, annabeth could see his smile. she kept his hand between hers as they drove, the only sound was coming from the quiet music of the radio. her jaw dropped as he pulled into a parking lot.

"percy," she deadpanned. "i know i said you could pick, but my work wasn't an option."

he laughed and just squeezed her hand. "i wanted apple pie."

she rolled her eyes but smiled, then got out of the car. she blushed when he put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. they walked into the diner and annabeth almost immediately caught jasmine's eye. she only blushed harder at the way her coworker's face lit up. percy steered her towards the booth he always sat in. they slid into the seats across from each other. he didn't hesitate to reach out and grab her hand.

"i might need a menu, i don't know what they have here," she told him, making him laugh.

"i'll order for you then." she rolled her eyes fondly and smiled.

"hi, annabeth. fancy seeing you here,” jasmine said as she came up to their table, placing silverware down.

"blame him," she replied. jasmine chuckled.

"what can i get you?" she asked them.

percy looked up at her. "one slice of apple pie, a coke, and..." he looked over at annabeth.

she thought for a second, then looked up as her coworker. "a vanilla milkshake."

jasmine snorted. "it'll be right out. weird ass order though."

both percy and annabeth chuckled. "it's a midnight snack," she said. percy laughed harder and jasmine just looked confused. it was around 10:30 pm.

"you know, i don't even wanna know." with that, she turned and left them alone. they looked at each other with stupid smiles. annabeth looked at their hands, still connected on the table.

"how's your mom?" she asked, looking back up at him.

"she's good," he said. then he blushed a little. "she's, uh, curious about you."

"oh?" annabeth asked, raising her eyebrows. her heart nearly beat out of her chest. he had told his mom about her. "why's that?"

"she saw me smiling at my phone once. and i told her about," he dropped her hand to make air quotes, "my friend who was asking about her surgery." he picked up her hand again. "then she interrogated me since i had been smiling so much. all she got out of me was your name, how and when we met, and that i think you're very pretty."

"you told her that?" annabeth asked, blushing a little.

"no," he said. "not the last part. i just wanted to see you blush. it worked. the rest though, yes."

before annabeth could comment, jasmine brought their drinks over. annabeth excitedly took a sip of her milkshake. then she looked back at him.

"so, you told her i was your friend. is that you friendzoning me?" she asked.

he threw his head back with laughter. "yeah," he told her, still smiling. "sorry you had to find out this way. i'm only interested in being friends with you."

"damn," she said. "i really thought we could've had something going for us."

he tilted his head and smiled softly, his demeanor changing. "oh, yeah?" he said quietly.

she bit her lip. "yeah. until you put me in the friendzone." she shrugged a little, making him chuckle. jasmine set the plate of apple pie down between them. percy thanked her quickly before looking back at annabeth, ignoring the food in front of them.

"so, you're saying if i were to... take you out of the friendzone, we could have something going for us?"

annabeth didn't try to hide her smile this time. she sat up straighter, letting go of his hand and picking up her fork. "i think so, yeah."

his eyes lit up when he smiled at her, then picked up his fork too. "good to know." they ate quietly, their feet kicking each other lightly to make the other laugh. when they finished, percy reluctantly let annabeth pay. they got up to leave and he immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders again. they walked to his car slowly, still not ready for the night to end.

when they got to his car, percy took her hands in his, letting them hang at their sides. she leaned back against the door of his car and looked up at him. he stepped forward and her body ended up being caught between him and his car. annabeth genuinely wondered if he could hear her heart beating.

"tonight was fun," he said quietly.

"yeah," she replied. she hated how breathless she sounded just from his body pressing her against his car. "we should do this again. soon."

he smiled at her. "yeah?" he whispered, leaning in until their faces were centimeters apart.

"yeah," she breathed, standing up on her toes and kissing him again. she felt dizzy when he let go of her hands to hold her face carefully. her hands came up to rest on his chest. they stood there for what could have been minutes, hours, or years. annabeth lost sense of time completely. when they did break apart, she was lightheaded.

"yeah," she whispered, smiling widely. "i definitely think we have something going for us."


End file.
